Physically, I have many sensitivities to “nature”. I group it all together because basically I am allergic to most of the outside world. However, mentally and emotionally, I am fairly insensitive.
This does not mean that I do not get my feelings hurt or that I mean to hurt others; I am human after all. It just means that my threshold for pain in the abstract is reasonably high. (As a side note – I also consider a great deal of physical pain to be abstract as a construct of the mind, but that’s another conversation.)
As I wrote in my last post, I have found the positive in having so many visitors through a lens of curiosity and interest in the sociology of people.
We live in what I deem to be an overly sensitive time now. One cannot post anything online anymore without having to defend it even when there is nothing needing defense. One cannot refer to another person now without worrying about using the right pronoun or coming across as some kind of ~ist. A complete breakdown of any kind of communication is not far off, in my opinion.
M and I were discussing this morning about this societal state. As we pondered, I determined that mankind and individuals have become weak. When a minority voice can bully the majority into conformity of the few, then that means fear guides actions and that fear weakens our mental fortitude giving power to the few rather than the masses.
Many of the books I have been reading, or listening to, of late talk about the role of fear.
“Fear leads to the dark side.”
In the words of the wise Yoda
My days of living in fear are long over. I spent too many of my formative years into my mid-30s living in varied states of fear. When I discovered my own strength and power that lies within myself, fear had no business left with me and has been banned from my mental space, almost to the point that I never say phrases like, “I’m afraid…” or “I fear that…” even as general statements that get used in media, or even everyday conversations. For example, “I’m afraid we are all out of milk today.” Or, “I fear that the train might be late.” These seem like harmless, and even considered polite, phrases, but by allowing the concept of ‘fear’ to enter the statement a seed of negativity is dropped in the psyche left dormant and waiting to take hold of some other part of the brain or some other thought that can feed the fear into a weed that consumes and destroys.
Instead, simply saying “We are all out of milk today.” or “The train might be late.” are neutral statements. No judgment or sway needs to be applied. You see, there is no need to add on language that introduces a bias one way or the other – especially negatively.
Since language has started to shift toward the former so naturally, it is no wonder that now we are being bullied into having sensitivities over the words we use in writing or speaking. Words are just words. It is the interpretation that defines them. Every individual, group, society, tribe may have their own local interpretation, which is what made the exploration of different communities interesting. Nowadays, we are not allowed to explore, but instead are shutout or shutdown. When conversations cannot be held over finding a mutual definition or an agreement of interpretations, then many will see no point in conversing. That will shift us back into tribal and isolationist mentalities, which can lead to more fights and wars, which will ultimately lead to the destruction of mankind. Is this what happened to the Greek civilization that was once known for its great philosophers and orators? Were they shut down and ostracized to the point that the pursuit of understanding others became pointless until they self-destructed?
If I were more academically and research-inclined, I would look into this theory more. However, in my version of layman’s thinking, I will continue to ponder, share here, and hope for humanity to prevail and become less sensitive.
~T π₯πβοΈ
